Fundraising push to help raise funds for historic Welsh church

Cash would help rund repair programme for Ewenny Priory Church

A major fundraising campaign is under way to raise thousands of pounds for repair work to an historic Welsh church.

Ewenny Priory Church is the most complete and impressive Norman church in South Wales and one of the finest examples of a fortified church building in Europe. It was dedicated in 1126 and in 1141 it became a Priory of the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter, Gloucester.

While restoration projects were carried out in 1999 and 2004, the age of the building means that repair work is constantly required.

The current programme of repairs, which will cost £88,000, centre on the west end of the church and are designed to prevent water getting into that part of the building, which is currently covered by tarpaulin.

The campaign comes as plans to repair the adjacent Priory House, which is owned privately by the Ewenny Priory Estate, was last week given the go-ahead by Vale of Glamorgan councillors.

Planners said that further deterioration of the house would “detract from the setting and the intrinsic value of the priory itself” and its repair would be “fundamentally in the public interest”.

The Venerable Philip Morris, priest in charge at Ewenny Priory Church, said the campaign for the latest repair work to the church was equally important and had received a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant of £55,000, leaving the congregation and community to raise another £33,000 through various fund-raising activities.

He said: “Next year marks the 900th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the priory church and we will be holding a flower festival from July 11 to 13 next year as part of our fund-raising activities.

“There will also be a Son et Lumiere in March, when the church will be lit up, and there will be a series of concerts.”

He added: “Continuous work is needed on the church due to its age, and we have to raise the money ourselves. The repair work to the west end of the church will have to be completed next summer.

“The Priory Church is visited by thousands of people every year, including last year by Prince Charles, who was very impressed.

“The church is a very important part of our heritage and it is vital that it is kept in good repair.

“Anyone who would like to help in our fund-raising campaign is very welcome to do so.”

WalesOnline is part of Media Wales, publisher of the Western Mail, South Wales Echo, Wales on Sunday and the seven Celtic weekly titles, offering you unique access to our audience across Wales online and in print.